The Choices of her Life
by roweday95
Summary: Ziva is forced to relive the choices she has made throughout her life and how different choices could have affected her and the people around her. NCIS episode 200 'Life before his eyes' but based around Ziva's choices
1. Chapter 1

It had been a long day for everyone involved in the latest case that rocked Gibbs and his team. The death of a navy officer aboard a ship was hard enough yet the involvement of McGee's father had placed a certain stress on the young agent and the team couldn't help but feel sorry for him and the rocky relationship he held with his admiral father. Ziva couldn't help but feel particularly sad for McGee. She understood the stresses of having a father in high places and the way a relationship could be blurred with a parent and how they could disappoint. She also hoped that McGee could reconcile properly with his father, she knew how hard it was.

"You okay Ziva?" Ziva looked up from her desk to see McGee looking at her.

"I am fine McGee, more importantly, how are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks" McGee did not have the heart to tell Ziva what he had just learnt about the health of his father, especially so close after losing her own father.

"Well, good. I am here for you though, if you do need anything. We all are. I am going to get everyone some coffee from the café down the street, what's your order?"

"I'm good for now, thanks. I just finished one. I might go and see Abby"

Ziva got up and retrieved her bag from behind her desk. She started moving towards the elevator

"Hey Ziva, thank you." McGee looked at her, his eyes watering.

Ziva smiled at him. She hoped that he could truly overcome the obstacles regarding his family. If anyone deserved to be happy, it was McGee.

Ziva stepped out of the elevator and walked out of the navy yard. She enjoyed feeling the wind on her face; it was refreshing and allowed her to clear her head of the stresses that she has felt these past months. She tried to relax as she walked towards her favourite coffee shop, but there was a niggling in the back of her mind. She couldn't quite understand what it was, but something did not feel right. She looked around the street, scanning the faces that passed her. She could not sense any immediate dangers so carried on walking. She passed it off as post-case stress and carried on walking.

She entered the shop and walked towards the counter to place her order for herself, Gibbs and Tony. As she joins the end of the line, she scans the faces inside the coffee shop; she cannot shake the feeling that someone is watching her.

"Miss, can I take your order?" Ziva turns quickly to find that she is at the front of the queue, whilst the boy behind the counter is looking at her inquisitively.

"Sorry, erm, can I have…" Ziva starts, but catches the boy's expression which changes from passive to alarm as she starts to speak. He looks just over her shoulder and Ziva spins on her heel, hand going to her holster before realising she left her gun back in her desk. She turns to face a hooded man pointing a gun at her chest. Before she can even register the gunman properly, an explosion sounds throughout the shop, and a blinding pain engulfs her, starting from her chest and spreading throughout her body and her vision is submerged into darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Just to explain, in the flashbacks, when the speech is in italics, it means the real ziva and the characters who are guiding her are speaking. If it is a flashback and the speech is not in italics, its the characters in the memories speaking. Hope its not too confusing. The flashbacks start and end when the stars are seen ************ Also, I have written this story solely beacause I enjoyed life before his eyes and i wanted to see Ziva in that situation. So i wrote it because I wanted to read it basically :)**

Ziva opened her eyes, blinking rapidly before taking in her surroundings. She noticed the familiar setting of the coffee shop yet a difference in this one. It is slightly hazy and the lights are stronger than before, giving the area a more illuminating effect. She looked around for her attacker but could not see the hooded figure. She started to notice how everyone in the coffee shop has completely ignored her. They seemed calm, not as if someone has just been shot feet from them. She looked down at her chest to see a bullet wound and blood seeping from it, yet felt no pain at all. Starting to feel confused, she looked around once more. Something caught her eye however. Sitting with her back to Ziva; a black haired girl with two pigtails was drinking a caf pow with a man sat opposite her.

"McGee, Abby?" Ziva calls, they turn to look at her and smile. Completely confused, Ziva stares at them until they turn away. What were they doing here? She saw McGee go down to Abby's lab just moments before. A tall, dark haired figure then started to walk towards her. Ziva took a defensive position until the person came into focus, a white glow surrounding her.

"Ziva, it's been too long" The long haired beauty came into focus.

"Monique? What…what are you doing here?" Ziva looked at the exotic woman standing before her.

"I am here for you Ziva; you must be quite confused right now. You have been shot. Do you ever wonder what people see when they are facing death?"

"I have faced death many times Monique, too many times" the Israeli said stubbornly.

"Not like this Ziva, you have faced the possibility of dying; you've never really faced death. This, Ziva, is…well it does not really have a name I suppose. Look around you Ziva, what do you see?"

Ziva looked around the café, there were more people here than before. She looked closely at a man's face to her right; he was sitting there, sipping on a coffee.

"Roy?" Ziva looked at him astonished. The man turned and was shown to be Lt. Roy Sanders. His thinning hair and sickly complexion was still the same. The man that she felt such a connection too, the man who she watched die before her eyes. He turned to look at Ziva and waved, he then turned back to his coffee and starting drinking again. How could he be here? He died.

"Monique, what…what is this? What is happening?" Ziva looked at her mentor, terror filling her eyes.

"Well Ziva, I suppose we should ask someone in here if they can explain to you, hmm." The older woman looked around the shop and her eyes stopped in the far corner by the window. "Come Ziva, someone wants to speak with you"

Ziva followed Monique and sat down at the table in the middle of the shop, her stomach was flipping rapidly. She looked across to who was sitting opposite her and her breath caught in her throat. The pair of eyes were looking back at her, boring into her soul, a small smile was tugging at the figure's lips.

"Mrs Vance?"


End file.
